Film & TV NewsGwen Verdon Documentary Merely Marvelous to Premiere on Amazon PrimeThe film explores the life of the four-time Tony winner and Sweet Charity star with interviews from Chita Rivera, Charlotte d'Amboise, and more.
By
Logan Culwell-Block
September 09, 2019
Gwen Verdon in Sweet Charity.Friedman-Abeles / The New York Public Library
Merely Marvelous: The Dancing Genius of Gwen Verdon, documenting the life of the Broadway star and four-time Tony winner, will premiere on Amazon Prime September 20. The film will also be available for digital rental and as a physical release on DVD.
Produced, written, and directed by Chris Johnson and Ken Bloom, the film looks at the life and career of Verdon, whose Broadway credits include starring turns in Damn Yankees, Redhead, New Girl in Town, Sweet Charity, and Chicago. As the muse of groundbreaking choreographers Jack Cole and Bob Fosse, Verdon played an immeasurable role in the development of dance in theatre in the 20th century.
The documentary features interviews with Verdon's children James Henaghan and Nicole Fosse, along with such Broadway and film personalities as Chita Rivera, Tab Hunter, John Kander, Charlotte d'Amboise, Harvey Evans, and Lee Roy Reams. Clips from never-before-seen home movies are also included.
The new film arrives after Fosse/Verdon, an FX limited series that dramatized the intertwined romantic relationship and artistic collaboration of Verdon and Fosse, premiered earlier this year. Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell are both nominated for 2019 Emmy Awards for their performances as Verdon and Fosse respectively, and the series is nominated for Outstanding Limited Series as well.
Ariane Munker, Shawn Campbell, Johnny Doran, and Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon, Ariane Munker, and Shawn Campbell
Dennis Patrick and Gwen Verdon
1994: Gwen Verdon (left) and Jean Stapleton flank legendary Broadway writer, director, and producer George Abbott, who is celebrating his 107th birthday at the ceremony
Filmed in 2023, the one-night-only event featured Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Peter Friedman, and more from the Ahrens and Flaherty musical's original cast.
